SCOUTED XI: Our UEFA U-19 EURO Team of the Tournament
Our standout performers from the 2025 Men's UEFA U-19 European Championship in Romania

And just like that, the men's UEFA U-19 European Championship is done and dusted for another year. The Netherlands are winners, beating Spain by a single goal in a hard-fought final on Thursday night.

This is the first time the Dutch have triumphed at this tournament and their success in Romania completes an extraordinary set: they are now one of only two nations, along with Germany, that have won every UEFA tournament at every age group in both men's and women's football, from seniors to under-17s. That is some achievement, not least given the differences in population and player pools.
What about this tournament? Well, we'll always remember it for its mental moments. First there was the 5-5 draw between England and Germany in the group stage, where the latter built a seemingly unassailable lead before the former fought back to miraculously equalise. Ten goals scored in less than an hour, set-piece calamities, goalkeepers chucking the ball in their own net - it had the lot.

Then came the semi-final between Germany and Spain, which ended 5-6 in the Spaniards' favour. This one had quality and chaos in equal amounts, including an Olimpico goal off a corner, another goalkeeping nonsense, a four-goal haul for Pablo García, and more.
What about the players? Kees Smit was the deserved winner of the official UEFA Player of the Tournament. He's the first Dutchman to stamp his name on an eclectic list of players that ranges from bonafide club icons and a three-time Champions League winner to Streets Won't Forget shouts and burnt-out wonderkids.
It's a list that encapsulates the peculiar place this tournament holds in the youth international circuit: it doesn't have the breadth of talent of its U-17 equivalent, the established senior quality of the U-21s competition, nor the favourable timing of both; it exists in a make-or-break cosmos between ages and seasons, a juncture in players' careers, but it's still a worthwhile watch every year.

As far as top goalscorers go, there were four winners of the Golden Boot with four goals each. The aforementioned Smit and García were two of them, and they were matched by Max Moerstedt and Said El Mala of high-scoring Germany. They join a list that includes Fernando Torres, Álvaro Morata and Viktor Gyökeres.
Llew Davies and Jake Entwistle have slammed their heads together, trawled through their match notes, and come up with a SCOUTED-approved Team of the Tournament that includes top performers and exciting talents, all analysed with extended write-ups.
So, less waffle, more fun: introducing some of Europe's best emerging prospects.

738/1000
SCOUTED's in-depth tournament coverage takes an untold amount of work. Hours and hours watching games, taking notes, spamming screenshots, and compiling it into what you'll get below. To keep these coming, we have to get to 1,000 paid subscribers. You can get us there.
Find out more